


Star Cluster

by sarcasticism



Series: Filling in the Gaps [2]
Category: Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: Thrawn Series - Timothy Zahn (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Humor, Minor Thrawn/Eli, i mean... i think it's funny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-11-22
Packaged: 2020-11-23 12:41:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20892275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarcasticism/pseuds/sarcasticism
Summary: What happened to Ezra and Thrawn after the purrgil took them away? Where were they during the Battles of Scarif, Yavin, and Endor? Read and find out!





	1. Vigilance

**Author's Note:**

> New chapter every Friday.
> 
> Title inspired by Kevin Kiner's "Journey into the Star Cluster" from the season 2 soundtrack of Star Wars Rebels, which played when the Ghost crew went into a star cluster and found the new Lasat homeworld.

The purrgil attached to the front window of the _ Chimaera _ stopped them both from getting sucked out into space. However, this meant that Ezra and Thrawn still had to endure each other’s presence. Ezra released his Force hold on the doors. There was no need to keep them closed now that he’d gotten away. 

Thrawn sighed. He’d just been trying to use the Empire for the advancement of the Chiss Ascendency, and somehow, he wound up bound by an animal with the capacity to travel at hyperspace speeds. _ What an interesting predicament, _he thought. 

Ezra let out a sigh of relief. Now he knew Lothal would be safe. _ I wonder if Sabine’s okay, if she’ll come for me. I hope so. I don’t know how much clearer I could’ve been. She knows I’m counting on her. _

“Are you going to release me now?” Thrawn asked, breaking the peaceful silence. They’d been out of hyperspace for about an hour. He was feeling sore.

Ezra frowned. “No. I don’t trust you not to kill me.”

Thrawn rolled his eyes. “I am not going to kill you. I do not think I could. I know when I am beaten.”

Ezra’s face morphed into surprise. “You… what? You’d accept a defeat?”

“It is the honorable thing to do.”

“You care about honor?”

“Yes, believe it or not. I also see no way out of this alive without your cooperation. Even so, my hopes for survival are not very high, so I may as well drop the act."

“Act? What are you talking about?”

“Have you ever wondered why I am one of the only nonhumans in the entire Empire?”

Ezra had. Most of the other races were enslaved.

“I am a Chiss,” Thrawn continued. “We hail from deep in the Unknown Regions. I was sent here by the Ascendency, our military, to infiltrate the Empire and use their information for the betterment of my people.”

“So… you’re not really loyal to the Empire?”

“No. But what is important is that they think I am. They must now fear I am dead. I doubt the Empire will succeed against the Rebellion, especially after the defeat on Lothal. None of that matters now, though, since our situation is looking a bit… dire.”

Ezra had the purrgil release him. Thrawn thanked the stars that he was dropped gently.

“Where are we, anyway?” Thrawn asked.

“Not sure. I told them to take us far away. The navicomputer probably still works, though. We can figure it out.”

“Very well, go ahead.” Thrawn motioned towards a nearby console. He waited for Ezra to return. They needed to trust each other in order to ensure their survival. Thrawn knew he shouldn’t do anything to make Ezra nervous.

“Unknown Regions,” Ezra called, “pretty far out. I think we’re in uncharted territory.”

“You forget I hail from this region,” Thrawn responded. “May I see the navicomputer?”

“Sure,” Ezra said, stepping aside.

Thrawn surveyed the surrounding systems. “The farthest ship from the Ascendency - the Chiss fleet - is about three systems away from us, here,” Thrawn said, pointing to it. “We can send out a distress signal. It could reach someone _ eventually_. This cruiser was originally intended for hundreds of officers, so I’d say there’s about six months worth of food for the two of us, longer if we ration it. If we aren’t rescued by then, we’ll need to find a habitable planet and live off the land.”

Ezra was staring at him. “You’re… very smart.

Thrawn couldn’t help but smile at Ezra’s impressed expression. “You do not think I got this far by being lucky?”

“I don’t exactly view Imperial officers with the utmost respect,” Ezra pointed out.

Thrawn let out a small chuckle. “I do not either. The only honorable Imperial officer I have ever met, aside from Kallus, of course, accepted my offer to join the Ascendency.”

“You _ respect _ Kallus? I thought you hated him.”

“I played my part effectively, then. Truly, joining the Rebellion is the morally correct choice.”

“Are you… secretly a good person?”

Thrawn sighed. “I try to be. I had to look past a lot of terrible things in my time as a Grand Admiral. Joining the Empire was the best way to help my people. They wanted to know what the greatest threat in the galaxy was and with my help, they know how to defend themselves against it.”

“You were doing it for your people?” _ Just like me? _ Ezra didn’t say.

“Of course. Nothing else matters. That’s what I used to think, anyway. Can you use your bond with the purrgil to ask them to get us into this planet’s orbit?” Thrawn asked, showing him a planet on the navicomputer. 

Ezra nodded and relayed the message through the Force bond. The ship started moving again. Ezra thanked them. The purrgil detached from the ship after that. Thankfully, as soon as they were gone, the emergency ray shield went up, blocking the vacuum of space.

“How do you even know about Force bonds anyway?”

“You and your master are not the only Jedi I’ve ever met,” Thrawn responded. 

“Who, then?”

“During the Clone Wars, I met a young Jedi named Anakin Skywalker.”

“Really? I’ve seen his training videos, he was amazing!”

Thrawn smiled slightly at Ezra’s enthusiasm. “He was impressive, yes.”

“You… you don’t know what happened to him, do you?”

“I have a theory.”

Ezra sensed that they both knew the truth. It was hard enough for him to talk about, and he hadn’t even known the guy. Thrawn probably felt worse than him. Ahsoka even more so. 

“You know, Ahsoka was his Padawan during the Clone Wars”

“Interesting. I am afraid the Empire’s interest in her was before I was assigned to the Phoenix cell. I heard about the fight at the Sith Temple. What happened?”

So Ezra told him everything, from Ahsoka’s presumed death at the temple to Ezra climbing through time to save her, to almost being killed by the Emperor. They only had each other for company, so they might as well get comfortable. 

“I thought the Emperor was crazy for pursuing such a thing, but knowing it exists is… hard to imagine.”

“Yeah. Sometimes I still think I dreamed about everything that happened in the World Between Worlds but I can sense Ahsoka’s presence in the Force. I know she’s out there.”

“I hope she comes for you, then. You saved her from Vader, after all. And it seems that she cares about you. Evidently, many people do. I hope you do not have to wait long for a rescue.”

“You hope _ I _ don’t have to wait long? What about you?

“Well, as I said, the Empire thinks I perished in the Battle of Lothal, and it will take a considerable amount of time before anyone from the Ascendency finds me. When your friends find you, I do not expect them to trust me enough to rescue me also. It is quite simple really: you will go and I will stay.”

_ He would do that? _ “I… may have misjudged you. You _ definitely _aren’t evil.”

Thrawn held up a hand. “You judged me correctly. You didn’t know that I was pretending to care about the Empire for selfless reasons. Very few people know my true motives.”

“Like that Imperial officer with the Chiss fleet?”

Thrawn’s gaze softened for a moment. “Yes.”

“Does this person have a name?” Ezra probed. 

_ We could die at any moment out here. Keeping secrets is meaningless. _

“Eli,” Thrawn responded, a far-away look in his eyes. 

Ezra thought it unwise to inquire further, so he sat on the floor and stretched his arms up over his head. Thrawn muttered something about sending out a distress call and turned away. 

“How do you think we’ll get out of this?” Ezra asked, lying down under to the console Thrawn was working at. 

“Can you not call the purrgil again?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t know the area well enough to tell them where to go.”

“Well, _ I _ do,” Thrawn reminded him.

“It doesn’t work like that. It’s not like we’re having conversations in my mind, I can’t just give them coordinates. It’s more passing messages through feelings.”

“Then how did it work to get us to orbit around this planet?”

“I sent them the feeling that we needed a habitable planet in order to survive out here and they just… understood.”

“Incomprehensible Jedi nonsense,” Thrawn muttered.

“So, aside from Ahsoka, who do you think will come for us?”

“I can think of one person. For me, at least.”

Ezra figured he was talking about the fabled Eli. 

“What about you?” Thrawn prompted. 

“Well, I know _ you’re _ hopeful about my rescue, but I don’t think it’ll happen for a while. I started something on Lothal that will spread throughout the galaxy. No one will be able to come to our rescue until the Empire is defeated.”

Thrawn hummed in agreement. Ezra decided to move on to a new topic.

“You mentioned you were looking for the greatest threat. Did you find it? What was it?”

“Yes, I found it. Or, rather, Eli did. He found out that the Empire was transporting large quantities of doonium for a ‘mystery project.’ When I confronted the Emperor, he told me the truth: the Empire is constructing a base the size of a small moon. It also possesses a new weapon that can destroy entire planets.”

“What purpose could that possibly serve?”

“Something to exercise their power, I believe. Though I do agree that it is unnecessary.”

Ezra sighed. “Nothing we can do about it from here.”

“Indeed,” Thrawn agreed. “The signal is transmitting.”

“Great!” Ezra exclaimed, sitting up. “What do you wanna do now?”

“I think it would be wise to next ration our food supply.”

“Lead the way, then,” Ezra said, standing up. 

“Admiral,” Eli brusquely greeted. “Thrawn missed check-in yesterday. That’s the fourth time this month. I do not believe he would be so careless.”

“Do you have reason to believe something has happened to him, Commander?” Ar’alani’s hologram asked. 

“No, ma’am, but you know Thrawn, he never forgets his duties. Because of this, I have reason to believe he may be in danger.”

She hummed. “You have heard about the battle on Lothal, yes?”

Eli nodded. 

“And the Battle of Scarif?” He nodded again. “It seems the Rebels are finally mobilizing against the Empire. I imagine Thrawn would be rather occupied dealing with this.”

“I - yes, ma’am. That’s probably what it is,” Eli conceded. 

“If you still have heard nothing from Thrawn after this chaos is finished, I encourage you to do what you think is best. Please notify me of anything you decide to do in this area.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The holo shut off. 

Eli knew he should’ve felt reassured by Admiral Ar’alani’s suggestions, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something had happened to Thrawn. That he needed help.

Eli sat down, put his head in his hands.

“Please be okay,” he whispered.


	2. Trust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot my updating schedule lol sorry everyone

“I’m bored,” Ezra complained, resting his head on the mess hall table. 

“Why,” Thrawn deadpanned, not looking up. He was busy portioning their meal. 

“Because it’s only been a month and I’ve done every possible activity I can think of! I even meditated!”

“Then what would you like to do instead?”

“Ask you intrusive questions!” He sat up straight, looking very excited. “We all used to be so afraid of you but now that I know you’re not actually evil, all that fear has been replaced with curiosity!”

“I thought Jedi do not feel fear.”

“Technically, I was Padawan, so it was okay.”

“You mean it is an excuse.”

“Yep! Now, where are you from?”

“Csilla. A couple thousand light years away.”

“Why do you have an accent?”

“Because Basic is not my native language.”

“What’s your native language?”

“Cheunh, just like all Chiss.”

“Do you speak any other languages?”

“Sy Bisti. A trade language.”

“What’s your relationship to Eli?”

Thrawn paused. “He is my… colleague.”  _ What game are you trying to play? _

“I thought if I had you answer questions in quick succession, I’d be able to get some information out of you before you realized you’d said it.”  _ Oh _ . 

“Why do you care about that?”

“Mainly because you seem reluctant to tell me. Also, who knows how long we’ll be out here? We need to learn to trust each other unconditionally but all I know about you is that you’re not actually loyal to the Empire.”

“Then the reverse should be true as well. You also must tell me every little detail about your life.”

“I would, but the Empire has a file on me and I’m sure you’ve read it,” Ezra pointed out.

Thrawn sighed. He couldn’t talk his way around the issue. He handed Ezra his food. 

“I promise to tell you eventually. However, I wish to keep this to myself for now. Until then, I will answer any other questions you ask of me.”

Ezra nodded. “I understand. Though, in the spirit of trust, there’s something you should know.”

Thrawn tilted his head questioningly.

Ezra cleared his throat before continuing. “People like me can sense bonds people have with each other, even if neither of them are Force-sensitive. I’m sure you’ve heard this somewhere already, that every living being is connected through the Force, so… I know your strongest bond is with Eli.”

“I… see. And who is your strongest bond with?”

“Kanan or Sabine, I’d say. After them, Ahsoka.”

“Have you seen her since your little journey through time together?”

“Yeah, she came by Chopper Base before you… destroyed it. Then she disappeared for a bit. She’s been known to do that sometimes. The next time I saw her, she stopped Pryce from destroying the fuel depot that Kanan and Hera were on - she saved their lives and they escaped while Pryce was distracted. After a brief reunion, she had to go into hiding again. I tried to convince her to stay, but she didn’t want Vader to use us against her again. I’m not sure where she is now. I can still sense that she’s alive, so at least there’s that.”

“We lead very interesting lives,” Thrawn concluded. 

Ezra hummed his agreement. He took a bite of his food. A little bland, but not bad. 

“Tell me about your parents.”

“But… you’ve read my file. You know about them.”

“I know why they were imprisoned. I don’t know what they were like as people.”

So Ezra told him: how much he looked up to them, how kind they were, how they were brave enough to speak out against the Empire and suffer the consequences. How much he missed them. Thrawn was surprisingly easy to talk to, but that might’ve just been the Stockholm Syndrome setting in. 

“You must miss them,” Thrawn said when Ezra was finished talking. 

“Yeah… I think they’d be proud of me.”

“Of course they would be,” Thrawn corrected as if it were the simplest thing in the world. “You inspired them to rebel from within their prison. And, if what you say about the Force is true, they are still with you.”

Ezra smiled. “Thank you,” he whispered. 

They ate the rest of their food in a comfortable silence.   
  


Most of their stranded year was spent in this way, each answering intrusive and sometimes uncomfortable questions. When they had exhausted conversation topics, Ezra taught Thrawn sword fighting and Thrawn taught Ezra martial arts. 

Slowly, slowly, they learned to trust each other. 


	3. Departure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's Friday lads!! Update time!!

“Ezra,” Thrawn greeted as he entered the mess hall.

“Thrawn,” Ezra responded, turning off his lightsaber. He’d just finished practicing his forms anyway. 

Thrawn’s hair had grown longer. Ezra's had too, of course, but he never thought he’d see Thrawn looking so unprofessional. 

“If my calculations are correct, today is my birthday.”

“Happy birthday! How old are you now?”

“My age is of no concern to you.”

“Hey, just making sure I don’t need to take care of you if you’re secretly a hundred years old.”

“Rest assured that I am not.” Thrawn smiled.

“What do you want for your birthday?”

“To be rescued.”

“Okay, how about something I can actually do or get for you?”

“We have orbited around this planet three hundred times. Our food supply is running low. I believe it is time for us to find a more renewable food source. For my birthday, I would like us to get into an escape pod and jettison ourselves onto the planet below.”

“Does it even have edible food?”

“Yes, I scanned it before we had to divert the rest of the power to life support. Even if I was uncertain, we have no other options. The ship’s power supply is low and we only have about two weeks worth of food left.”

Ezra nodded. “Let’s go, then.”

“Grab the canteens and sleeping bags. I’ll get the rations and program the escape pods.”

They met at the escape pods a few minutes later. 

“You know, in a weird way, I’ll miss the _ Chimaera _,” Ezra said as he entered the escape pod. 

“I will as well. It has been our home for the past year. Though I do not care to remember the beginning of our journey. Being trapped by giant creatures was a terrifying experience.”

Ezra chuckled. 

Thrawn followed him inside. “In five minutes, all power will be diverted to keeping the distress call alive.”

Ezra strapped himself into the copilot’s chair. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He didn’t sense any hostility on the planet below. 

“Here we go,” Thrawn said, pushing the ignition. 

“How long until we land, do you think?”

“Assuming terminal velocity is the same here as it is on Csilla, ten minutes, perhaps?”

_ I hope the Force is still with me _ , he thought. Seemingly in response to this, Ezra sensed a familiar comforting presence. _ Sabine. _

He could sense how much she missed him. _ I’m sorry _, he wished he could say to her. 

The escape pod launched and Ezra was jolted out of his thoughts.

“Today, I think, I will tell you about Eli.”

Ezra raised his eyebrows. “Whenever you’re ready,” he offered. 

“He was on the ship that found me when I faked my exile. I did not speak much Basic, but he spoke Sy Bisti, so he translated for me. I convinced the Emperor to let us into the Imperial Academy on Coruscant. Eli had been on the supply officer career track but I needed his translating so he was assigned to me as my aide. Due to his association with me, his long-overdue promotions were consistently blocked by xenophobic politicians on Coruscant. He had every right to resent me. And he did, for a bit. He got over it and is now a Commander. That being said, he technically defected to the Chiss fleet, but the Empire remains unaware of this.”

“How often do you talk to him?”

“Every week or so. I report to him since he serves as the Empire’s emissary to the Ascendency.”

“What’s happened now that you haven’t been in contact?”

Thrawn shrugged. 

“He must be worried.”

“Perhaps. We have almost landed. I trust you know survival skills?”

“Um.”

Thrawn sighed exasperatedly. “I will teach you.”

“I should be okay. I’ve got the Force!”

“And that has helped you before?”

Ezra nodded. “I don’t really know how, but it makes me instinctively good at stuff.”

Thrawn opened and closed his mouth. Truly, Ezra was an enigma. He turned back to the windshield. “We should be landing soon,” he reiterated. 

He didn’t want to think about how the Force worked. It was confusing and had no concrete definition. Thrawn had trouble understanding it.

Landing in an escape pod was never comfortable. Thankfully, theirs managed to stay mostly intact so they got out with their supplies just fine. It didn’t even explode. 

The planet was very colorful, with all sorts of weird plants Ezra had never seen before. There were plains and forests. He even saw some mountains in the distance. The sun was low in the sky, bathing everything in a soft glow. 

“Wow,” he breathed. 

“We should find shelter before nightfall. Can you use your Force to find anything?”

Ezra shrugged. “I think we should go this way,” he said, pointing to their left. His instincts had never led him astray before, so he should be fine this time too, right?

“Very well.” 

Ezra’s instincts, which was most likely the Force guiding him, led them to a cave near a stream. 

“What if an animal lives here?”

“I can’t sense any life forms inside,” Ezra said, already walking in to check it out. “Yup, nothing’s in here!” he called. 

When Thrawn came in, Ezra was already laying out their tarp. 

“Remind me why we need this.”

“Having a suitable barrier between us and the ground prevents the ground from usurping our body heat.”

“Usurping? It’s that bad?”

“Yes. During my training in the Ascendency, we had to survive a night up in the mountains. Csilla is an arctic world. If any of us did not have tarps, we would have perished.”

“Fair enough. While I lay out the sleeping bags, will you make dinner?”

Thrawn nodded. “I hope ration bars are good enough. We only have one bowl and I believe it should be used for preparing future meals,” Thrawn said as he unpacked said items. 

“That’s fine.”

He sat and waited for Ezra to join him. They ate their ration bars and drank from their canteens. Frankly, they were both getting a little sick of the military food and recycled water, but it was all they had. 

“So… this is our life now.” Ezra took a sip of water.

“It seems that way, yes.”

“It’s already been a year and no one’s come for us. Do you still have hope?”

“Do you?”

“Of course I do, but it’s hard to be optimistic all the time. The reality of it is that we’re going to be stranded here for a while and… it’s my fault.” 

Thrawn frowned and tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

“If I could call the purrgil again, we could get out of here. You can go back to your people and I can go back to mine.”

“You think the Empire has been overthrown in the span of only one year?”

“How long do _ you _think it’ll take?”

“At least two more years. Possibly even three. There will be no resources to spare looking for us until the conflict is over.”

Ezra sighed.

“For now, though,” Thrawn continued, “we should focus on surviving until then, not thinking about how long we have to wait.”

“You mean… you’re not mad?”

Thrawn shook his head. “Obviously, I want to return to the Ascendency, but I also think it is a good idea for us to be away from the rest of the galaxy right now.”

“Because the Rebellion is finally taking decisive action against the Empire?”

“Precisely. If I was still there, I probably would be killed in the crossfire. I am not going to pretend to be so loyal to the Empire to _ die _ for them. Waiting it out makes sense.”

“I guess, but what if you’re wrong? What if the Rebellion fails?”

“Do you believe that will happen?”

“I don’t know.”

“Even with me, they were beaten. I cannot imagine a scenario wherein they are successful.”

“That’s… strangely comforting.”

“It was intended to be. Now, I am going to get into my sleeping bag because it is getting dark and we most certainly have a long day tomorrow.”

They were thankful for their sleeping bags and the tarp; it was a cold night. 

Ezra stared at the cave ceiling, thoughts swirling around in his mind. “Thrawn?”

“Yes?”

“Eli isn’t just a friend, is he?”

Thrawn was silent for a moment. “Truthfully, I am unsure. Before him, I never knew of friendship. Now, though, I cannot picture my life without him.”

“When we get rescued, where will you go?”

“Back to Eli, of course,” Thrawn answered immediately. 

“What about your career?”

“I do not care about that. I only wish to see him again.”

“Look, I don’t wanna tell you what you’re feeling, but this definitely seems to go deeper than friendship. More towards, I don’t know, love?”

“That is preposterous,” Thrawn responded calmly. 

“How so?” 

“I… Because we are just friends! Because he and I only spoke once a week, because I sent him to the Ascendency to protect him from the Empire, because… oh no.”

“You seem to have proven my point.”

Thrawn groaned. “This is quite possibly the worst situation to discover my feelings for him.”

“I dunno,” Ezra said, “from what I can sense, he feels the same. That’ll make him more likely to come rescue you faster.”

“I am going to sleep now!” Thrawn snapped. 

Ezra laughed. “I can’t wait to meet him.”

“Absolutely not!”

Much of the following year went by in this way. Ezra teased Thrawn about Eli while they gathered food. They sharpened sticks with rocks and taught themselves to spear fish. They gathered firewood and hit rocks against each other until a fire started. Fresh fish tasted amazing.

Of course, not all the food they found sat well. Their safest bets were the various berry bushes scattered throughout the planet. Ezra would gather them as Thrawn purified water from the stream with iodine he’d taken from the _ Chimaera _. Ezra eventually even found some seeds and they started growing their own berry bushes. While digging the soil for them, Thrawn found some clay they could use to make tools. It took a few months for the bushes to grow and a few more until the berries were ready to be harvested. In the meantime, they trained and talked and cleaned their clothes and took uncomfortable baths. 


	4. Bonds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whatever *merges two separate chapters into one and posts it anyway*

“Okay, this is getting ridiculous.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Your hair, Thrawn. We need to do something about it. It’s been unmanaged for the last three _ years _.”

“Yours has also been unmanaged for the last three years.”

“Not really,” Ezra said, pointing at his ponytail. It was short and held up loosely by a band made out of grass (that he had to re-tie every few days), but it was better than letting it get in the way all the time.

“None of the tools we made are sharp enough to cut hair anyway.”

“I could cut it with my lightsaber.”

“No.”

“Then at least let me tie it up,” Ezra suggested, holding up a string he’d made from tying strands of grass together.

Thrawn gave a resigned sigh and stopped molding the clay into a bowl. “Do what you must.”

Ezra knelt down behind him and tried his best, but, 

“Okay, I think you have too much hair to fit into the band. I’m only gonna tie half of it up so it’s away from your face. Tell me when it gets loose and I’ll tie it again for you.”

Thrawn hummed in acknowledgment.

Ezra held up some of Thrawn’s hair. “Hold this.” As Thrawn held it, Ezra tied the string around it. 

“There.” Ezra scooted around to see his work from the front. “Now it won’t get in your face. It looks good, too. Eli will like it.”

“Do not do this to me, I beg of you.”

Ezra cackled and sat down. He should probably be making a spoon or something with Thrawn’s extra clay. 

_ Ezra _.

Ezra shook his head. Thrawn was still busy with his bowl. Everything was fine, he’d just imagined hearing Ahsoka’s voice in his head. Ezra closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to center himself. 

_ Ezra, listen to me. _

_ This is so confusing! This isn’t how the Force works! _

_ Now how do you know how it works? Maybe it just works differently with animals. Either way, I can’t keep this up forever. Tell me where you are. _

_ In the Unknown Regions. _

_ Where? _

_ I don’t know. We set up a distress beacon on the ship before we jettisoned ourselves onto this planet. Thrawn knows this region best, do you want to talk to him? _

_ I don’t think that’s possible. We’ll find you, I promise. _

_ We? _

_ Sabine and I. _

_ Thank you, Ahsoka. I miss you both. _

_ We miss you too, obviously. We hope to see you soon. _

With that, Ahsoka’s comforting presence was gone. Ezra sighed and began molding a spoon.

“I just made contact.”

“What do you mean?”

“I just spoke to Ezra through our connection in the Force.”

“That’s possible?” Sabine exclaimed.

Ahsoka chuckled. “Yes, but only if the bond is strong enough. Proximity helps, too.”

“You mean we’re close?”

“We’re on the right track. He said they’re in the Unknown Regions like we predicted, so at least there’s that.”

“Did he say anything else?”

“They turned on their ship’s distress signal before they used an escape pod to get onto the nearest planet.”

“They?”

“Thrawn’s with him.”

“He’s still _ alive _?” Sabine asked incredulously.

“Evidently. From what Ezra and I briefly discussed, it sounds like he and Thrawn are working together.”

“But… Thrawn? He’s evil?”

Ahsoka shrugged. “If you’re stranded with someone for long enough, you’ll learn how to work together. Once, my master and grandmaster worked with the Sith Lord Count Dooku to escape from Hondo and his pirates.”

“That makes sense, but for _ four years _?”

“All the more reason to rescue them sooner.”

“Oh no no no, we are _ not _ rescuing _ him_.”

“Why not? He’s probably a large part of the reason why Ezra’s managed to survive this long.”

“Because he sent an assassin after us, he attacked Chopper Base, he tortured Kallus, he bombed Lothal, the list goes on and on!”

“How about we let Ezra decide? After all, he probably knows him best.”

“Alright. I’ll respect his decision.” 

“Will you scan for distress signals?” Ahsoka asked as she steered the ship.

“Sure. Are you gonna go do your Jedi thing and try to sense him again?”

“Yes, but this time I’m going to try to find his location, not send a message.”

An hour passed.

“Ahsoka, we’ve scanned the whole system. No ship wreckage, no distress signal, not one habitable planet. We should move on.”

“Okay, but remember, we need to be careful. It’s called the Unknown Regions, because they’re mostly uncharted due to dangers like solar storms, black holes, and gravity wells. That’s what the survivors say, at least.”

Sabine gulped.

“It’s okay, you don’t need to be scared. The Force will not lead us astray.”

“See, you _ say _ that, but it’s easier for you to trust in the Force because you have a stronger connection to it.”

Ahsoka chuckled. “Fair enough. Now, let’s get to the next system. Ezra’s been waiting long enough.”

“Uh-oh.”

“What?” 

“A ship just came out of hyperspace and… we’re caught in their tractor beam.”

“Figures,” Ahsoka muttered. “Who do you think it is?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen anything like it. See for yourself.” Sabine pointed at the windshield. The ship came into view as they were drawn in closer. It was sleek, smooth, and dark, difficult to spot if you weren’t looking for it.

“A Chiss ship,” Ahsoka surmised.

“How do you know?”

“Process of elimination. Who else do you think would be all the way out here?”

“Either way, we’ll find out soon enough.”


	5. Search

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hhhhhh i forgot to update on friday, sorry gamers

“Commander Vanto, what do you have to report?” Admiral Ar’alani was never one for pleasantries. She was busy, after all, and Eli had deemed this important enough to bring to her attention in person. 

“One month ago, on the forest planet Endor, the Empire was defeated by the Rebellion. I still have not heard from Grand Admiral Thrawn,” Eli said. 

“Do you believe he yet lives?”

“Yes. With the Empire crumbling, I was able to hack into their databases and read the file on the Battle of Lothal. It appears Grand Admiral Thrawn and Ezra Bridger were meeting on a ship called the  _ Chimaera _ when out of nowhere, the purrgil appeared.”

“The purrgil?”

“They are gigantic flying life forms capable of hyperspace travel.” 

Ar’alani raised an eyebrow. Eli had gotten better at reading her. She was impressed. 

“The purrgil attached themselves to the ship and took them into hyperspace. No one has heard from neither him nor the boy since.”

“And what do you plan to do about this?”

“I am formally requesting to form a search party to look for him.”

“If he truly is still alive, where do you even start? The galaxy is vast, after all.”

“I believe the young Jedi summoned the purrgil and had them take the ship as far from the Empire as possible to take away one of its greatest assets. With him out of the picture, the Empire was vulnerable. I posit that Grand Admiral Thrawn was taken here, to the Unknown Regions.”

“And he has survived for four years?”

“He’s not alone, and Jedi don’t kill.”

“Very well, Commander. You may take one ship and its crew from the defense fleet and search the region.”

“Thank you, Admiral.”

“Dismissed.”

Eli left her office with a smile on his face. 

One week later, they had already scanned at least four systems for humanoid life forms. The crew had gotten used to it, so as soon as they entered a new system, they’d immediately start scanning. It was truly boring work. 

“Commander, scans found two life forms aboard a nearby ship.” Everyone on the bridge, including Eli, perked up.

“Engage tractor beam,” Eli ordered. “Let’s make sure it’s who we want.”

Eli went down to the docking bay. Two people were exiting the ship. Neither of them were Chiss. Eli sighed and walked over to talk to them anyway.

“Greetings. I am Commander Eli Vanto of the Chiss Ascendency. I apologize for using the tractor beam on your ship. We are looking for someone and we thought that you might perhaps be him, but we were wrong.”

The human went to speak but the Togruta raised a hand to stop her.

“I am Ahsoka Tano and this is Sabine Wren. We are looking for someone as well. His name is Ezra Bridger and he disappeared above Lothal four years ago.”

“It would seem our goals align. We too are looking for someone who disappeared in the same place at the same time.”

“You’re looking for Thrawn?” the human, Sabine, blurted out.

Eli nodded. “He has been an invaluable asset to the Ascendency and now that the Empire has fallen, he must be returned to us.”

The Togruta, Ahsoka, nodded, looking thoughtful. “I have reason to believe that Ezra and Thrawn are together. Would you be amenable to working with us to find them?”

Eli thought about it for a moment. “Yes. Please come with me to the mess hall. There, we will theorize about continuing our search.” With that Eli, led them away.

When they were seated in the mess, Eli relaxed a bit. “Sorry about being so formal. Things operate differently here on a Chiss ship. In situations like that, I need to demonstrate my leadership skills to retain their respect.”

“How does a human even end up on a Chiss ship?” Sabine asked.

“Thrawn, actually. We were at the Imperial Academy on Coruscant together. After that, we served together for quite a long time. Eventually, he recommended I become the Empire’s emissary to the Chiss Ascendency. That’s what the Empire thinks, anyway. I actually defected; I’m a Commander in the Ascendency. Now that the Empire’s gone, I see now that he was trying to both protect me and show me that my full potential would be wasted by working for anyone else.”

Sabine frowned. “You must be talking about someone else. The Thrawn I know would never do anything so selfless.”

Eli couldn’t help but chuckle. “Thrawn must have been a very good actor to have convinced you of that. He was never loyal to the Empire. He pretended to be because the Ascendency sent him on a mission to find the galaxy’s greatest threat, which they assumed would be in the Empire. They were right.”

“What was it?”

“You’ve heard of the Death Star, I assume?”

Ahsoka and Sabine nodded.

“Thrawn and I found evidence of its creation and when we brought it before the Emperor, he told us the truth.”

“You knew about the Death Star? Why didn’t you help the Rebellion?” Sabine fired back.

“Sabine, calm down,” Ahsoka interjected. “If they’d helped the Rebellion, they would’ve been caught and killed. Remember, this was back when there were only a few Rebel cells.”

Sabine sighed but relented. 

“So, you two were in the Rebellion?”

“Yes,” Ahsoka responded. “I was the spymaster for a bit and Sabine was part of the Phoenix cell.”

“Ah, yes. Your cell gave Thrawn a lot of trouble. Good job.”

“Yeah, well - wait, what?”

“It was amusing to hear him complain about how difficult you all were.”

“But he seemed so unflappable…”

“As I said, he played his part well. Ahsoka,” Eli continued, “I noticed you carry lightsabers. Why?”

Ahsoka shrugged. “I used to be a Jedi.”

“Used to?”

“It’s a long story. I left the Order shortly before the rise of the Empire.”

“I see. Well, have you any opinions on where we should resume our search?”

“I’ll need to meditate on that. Give me a few minutes.” Ahsoka crosses her legs and closed her eyes. 

Sabine whistled awkwardly. 

“Can we - can we still talk or will that distract her?” Eli asked. 

“She can tune us out. I’ve dropped so many loud things and she never even opened her eyes so go for it I guess.”

“You resent Thrawn for his pursuit of your cell,” Eli stated. 

“Of course I do!” Sabine snapped. 

“Believe me, I know what that’s like. I used to hate him too.”

“And how did he win you over?”

“Near-death experiences. Not caused by him, of course, but it’s hard to go through something like that together and not form a bond.”

“Maybe that’s what’s happening with Ezra, too,” Sabine muttered. 

“Listen, I don’t expect you to trust Thrawn. I don’t even expect you to trust me. But you must see that working together is our best option.”

Sabine sighed again. “I know. It’s just hard to change my image of him after he hunted us for  _ years _ . He’s a good actor.”

Eli nodded. “He even fooled the Emperor. Multiple times.”

“It’s weird to hear someone speak so fondly of him.”

Eli paused for a moment. “I know.”

“Do you miss him?”

“Everyday. Before I met him, I was so lost and I didn’t even realize it. He helped me find a purpose. Rescuing him is the least I can do.”

Sabine raised her eyebrows. “Seems like you two were really close.”

“Indeed, we were.”

“Were you two ever - ?”

“May I see a navicomputer?” Ahsoka interjected. 

“Of course.” Eli stood up and led them to the bridge. Ahsoka made a beeline for the navicomputer as soon as she recognized it. 

Her hands moved so fast they were almost blurry as she swiped through the surrounding systems. 

_ No, no, no, no, these aren’t right, Ezra isn’t here. Wait.  _

“Eli, what system is this?” Ahsoka asked, showing him the map of a system with only one charted planet. 

“The Vichi system. The surrounding solar storms and black holes are so varied that every time we want to go there, we have to calculate a new route. Understandably, it’s mostly uncharted.”

“That’s where Ezra is.”

“Are you certain?”

“Yes.”  _ I’d recognize that presence anywhere.  _

“Alright. Plot a course for the Vichi system,” Eli commanded. 

Ahsoka and Sabine smiled at each other as the crew jumped into action. 


	6. Calm

“Thra-awn,” Ezra groaned. 

“What is it?” Thrawn responded, not looking away from the bush. They were picking some berries for dinner.

“It’s been a whole week since I talked to Ahsoka. Shouldn’t she be here by now?”

Thrawn shrugged. “We do not know where we are in relation to her. She does not even know where we are. Even so, you seemed so certain that she was on her way. Do you not feel so anymore?”

“I know Ahsoka will come for me, but going so long without hearing from her… I mean, I’ve barely even sensed her presence since then.”

Thrawn turned to Ezra and put a hand on his shoulder. “Do not lose hope,” he said, looking at Ezra intensely. 

Something about Thrawn’s tone made him feel like anything was possible. Revitalized, Ezra smiled and nodded before returning to his task. 

A few moments later, Ezra heard Thrawn behind the bush say, “Oh no,” very softly. 

“Is there something wrong with the food?”

“It’s not that,” Thrawn said, poking his head out. 

Ezra burst out laughing. Thrawn’s hair tie had come undone and his hair was completely covering his face. 

“Guess you can’t work like that,” Ezra wheezed. 

Thrawn lightly chuckled, brushing his hair back. “No, I guess not. Help?” he requested, holding out the strands of grass that needed to be re-tied.

“Sure.” 

Ezra walked over and knelt behind him, an interesting idea forming in his head. Thrawn’s hair had gotten quite long now, so logistically, it shouldn’t be too difficult. 

“Mind if I try something new?”

“Whatever keeps it back,” Thrawn responded nonchalantly. 

“Okay, this might hurt a bit because I’ll have you section off parts of your hair and we don’t get a chance to brush ours too often,” Ezra warned. 

When he started separating the top layer of Thrawn’s hair, though, he found little resistance. Curious, he combed his fingers through Thrawn’s hair. Not as knotted as he expected. 

“Have you been secretly brushing your hair?”

“How?”

Ezra shrugged. “Fork.”

“What? Ew! I just use my fingers when we bathe in the river! What is wrong with you?”

“I’ve been stranded on a planet with only you as company for the past four years.”

“Fair enough.”

Ezra started weaving Thrawn’s hair, adding more as he went. When he finally reached the end, he had Thrawn hold the end of his hair while Ezra tied a string of grass around it. 

“Okay, I think this is called a braid. When I had long hair, Sabine used to do them on me. Mine were all pretty small though.”

Thrawn gently touched the braid. “It feels intricate,” he remarked, pulling it to the side and letting it fall over his right shoulder. 

“You look amazing! I did a great job. Eli will love this.”

Thrawn groaned. “Just help me make dinner.”

“‘Kay.”

“Hey, can we spar tomorrow?” Ezra asked as they got into their sleeping bags. 

“Only if you are ready to be beaten again.”

“It’s not fair if I can’t use the Force.”

“Is that your only advantage in combat?”

“I know you’re trying to teach me to be a better fighter, but it’s getting real difficult to see that at this point.”

“You should not need the Force to beat me.”

“Still helps, though.”

Thrawn chuckled. “Indeed, it does. Perhaps I am just showing you how the rest of us have to train.”

“I much prefer my way.”

“As would I, I’m sure.”

“So… when you see Eli again, will you tell him how you feel?” 

“I… am unsure if that would be a good idea.”

“Do you really think your bond is so weak that if you say anything, you’ll ruin your relationship?”

“Of course not. I am just… apprehensive of broaching the topic.”

“Are you gonna do it anyway?”

“I…” Thrawn sighed. “Why not? After these past four years away, I see no point in keeping it to myself anymore.”

“Can I come?”

“No.”

“Aw. Okay, well if you decide you’re too scared, I’ll lock you two in a room together and destroy the console with my lightsaber!”

“Thanks,” Thrawn muttered. 

“I think he’s close to finding us. I can sense him thinking about you.”

Thrawn smiled to himself in the dark. “That makes two of us.”


	7. Future

“We have plotted a course to the Vichi system,” Eli announced. 

Sabine paused their game of Sabaac. 

“How long until we get there?” Ahsoka asked. 

“A couple of hours. I can arrange sleeping accommodations if you’d like,” he offered. 

“I’m too restless,” Sabine said.

“Same here,” said Ahsoka. “Thanks, though.”

“Well, I’m not, so, I’ll see you in a few hours!” And he was gone. 

“Wanna keep playing?” 

“No thanks. You were winning anyway,” Sabine said, turning off the game. 

“What’s on your mind?”

Sabine sighed. “Sometimes I wish you weren’t so perceptive.”

“Me too,” Ahsoka joked. “So…”

“I’m just not sure what to do once all this is over. My whole life has been working for the Empire, then fighting the Empire and now… what comes next?”

“With the Empire gone, _ you _ decide what comes next.”

“I just feel so lost. What are you going to do?”

“I have a Padawan to train.”

“Who?”

“Leia Organa.”

“Really? She’s Force-sensitive?”

“Yup. Do you ever wonder why she’s good at so many things? That’s the reason.”

“You’ve got it all planned out.”

“Well, yes, it seems that way _ now_. When I was your age, I was masquerading as a mechanic and trying to figure out how to avoid the Empire one day at a time. You don’t need to have everything laid out for you. I joined the Rebellion because I wanted to. What do _ you _ want to do?”

Sabine shrugged. “I don’t know. That’s why it’s so hard. People don’t need demolitions experts anymore.”

“But they _ do _ need diplomats. Mandalorian ones especially.”

“You think so?”

Ahsoka nodded. “The people of Mandalore are brave and strong. You can decide how they’re represented to the rest of the galaxy.”

Sabine shook her head. “I don’t know if I’d even be any good at it.”

“Well, you’re Mandalorian, you’ve traveled extensively, and you were in the Rebellion. Those are pretty much the only qualifications at this point, but if you aren’t interested, I’m not going to force it on you.”

“That’s the thing Ahsoka, it sounds interesting, but what if I don’t like it?”

“Then you can do something else. There will be plenty of other jobs in the New Republic. You can try as many jobs as you want.”

“I… I’m still not sure, but it’s nice to know I have opportunities. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“So… we have a couple hours to kill. What do you want to do?”

Ahsoka shrugged. “Do you still remember how to wield a lightsaber?”

Sabine nodded. “Why do y - ”

“Let’s duel,” Ahsoka said, standing up and tossing Sabine one of her lightsabers. 

Sabine just barely managed to catch it. “I such close quarters?”

Ahsoka smirked. “Sounds like an excuse…”

In response, Sabine ignited the blade. 

It didn’t take long for Ahsoka to win the match. After that, she started teaching Sabine some lightsaber forms. 

“You never know when it’ll come in handy,” Ahsoka pointed out. _ Also, I’m practicing for when I start teaching Leia,_ she didn’t say. 

Before they knew it, Eli had returned with the news that they’d made it to the Vichi system.

“We picked up a distress call from a ship orbiting around the only habitable planet,” he added. 

“Ready?” Ahsoka asked, summoning her blade from Sabine’s hand. 

“Ready,” Sabine answered.


	8. Rescue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> honestly, this entire fic might be out of character but my only explanation for that is how tf are you supposed to act normal if you live on a deserted planet for four years with only your former enemy as company... anyways it's done yeet

“I win again.”

“You wouldn’t if you’d let me use the Force.”

“We have been over this. You should not need it to defeat me."

Ezra frowned. Thrawn was right, but he didn’t like admitting it. 

“Would you like a rematch?” he offered. 

“Yup.”

This time, Ezra carefully watched Thrawn’s every move. He seemed to know all of Ezra’s strategies before he even employed them. _ Time to throw him off his rhythm. _

He fell into another common routine, waiting for Thrawn to block his punch. After he did, Ezra quickly crouched and swung his right leg around. With his legs swept out from under him, Thrawn fell. 

Ezra offered him a hand. Thrawn grabbed it and stood, smiling. 

“Good job! You have finally learned the art of observation.”

Ezra chuckled. “Only took four years. Oh no! Your hair got all messy. Sit down, I’m redoing it.”

Thrawn rolled his eyes but did as requested. “Why do you insist on this?”

“Because you might see Eli again any day now! You’ve got to look good.”

Thrawn sighed. “Must you constantly bring this up? It has been four years.”

“And I’ve exhausted every other option. The best way to mess with you is to tease you about your future boyfriend.” Ezra started braiding. 

“If you do this around Eli, so help me.”

“Thanks for the idea!”

Thrawn groaned. “There must be _ some _ blackmail material I can use to deter you from this.”

“‘Fraid not. I don’t really have anything I’m embarrassed about.”

“Lucky you,” Thrawn muttered bitterly. 

Ezra tied his hair and pushed it to the side. “Come on, you know I’m only teasing. I’ll be a _ little _ nicer around Eli.”

“I’m never letting you meet him,” Thrawn declared. 

Ezra raised his eyebrows. He sighed and looked up at the sky. 

“Something on your mind?”

“Yeah, I’m thinking about how good food other than berries is.”

Thrawn cracked a smile. “I must admit, I think about that quite often.” 

“Wait… do you see a ship up there, too? Am I finally going crazy?”

“It must be contagious, for I see it too.”

Ezra reached out in the Force and gasped. “It’s Ahsoka!”

“We are saved?”

“Yes!"

Ezra cheered and Thrawn couldn’t help but join in, if only for a moment. 

The ship landed near them a few minutes later. The ramp came down and out came Ahsoka, Sabine, and someone Ezra didn’t recognize. 

“Eli,” Thrawn whispered in disbelief. 

“That’s him? Yes!” Ezra whispered back. 

“Ezra!” Sabine exclaimed. She ran towards him and nearly knocked him over with a hug.

“Careful, Sabine, I probably don’t smell so good.”

“Don’t care.”

Ahsoka placed a hand on his shoulder and Ezra turned to her. 

“Are we even now?” she asked with a sly smile. 

“Definitely,” Ezra answered before enveloping her in a hug as well. 

“Okay, now shh, I wanna see this,” he said, turning to watch Thrawn and Eli’s reunion. 

“What? Why?” Sabine hissed. 

“You’ll see!”

“Commander Vanto,” Thrawn greeted. 

“Grand Admiral. Love what you’ve done with your hair.”

Thrawn chuckled. “Thank you. The kid did it.”

“I’m twenty-two!” Ezra whispered. 

Eli smiled and looked into Thrawn’s eyes. “It’s good to have you back.”

Thrawn looked away for a moment and then rushed forward to hug him. 

“Aww,” the former rebels all cooed. 

“Shut up!” Thrawn yelled back. 

“Now kiss!” Sabine ordered. 

“Not in front of _ you_!” Eli said quickly. Realizing what he’d said, Eli let go of Thrawn and looked at the ground. 

“You…” Thrawn trailed off. 

“I told you!” Ezra exclaimed. “I _ told _ you! I told _ you_!”

Thrawn took hold of Eli’s hand and pulled him towards the ship. “Come on.”

“Took you long enough,” Eli said as they ascended the ramp.

Thrawn sighed. “I am afraid the boy has taken a liking to you, despite having never met you. We will likely never get rid of him.”

“Damn right you won’t!” Ezra yelled, following them onboard. 

“Now, Eli, tell me everything about yourself,” Ezra said as everyone sat around a table. 

“Didn’t Thrawn tell you that already?”

“Pretty much. Still, though, I don’t know what you’re like in person.”

“Well… why don’t we just get to know each other?”

“Bad idea,” Thrawn said. “At least let us bathe first.”

“Go ahead.”

“Come, Ezra.”

“How do you even know where to go?”

“This is a standard Chiss ship. Every layout is the same. Also, must you embarrass me so?”

“Yes. When we get back, I’m telling him about how you pined after him and how your face lit up whenever you talked about him and - ”

“I am going to drown you in a bathtub.”

“No,” Eli called after them. 

Thrawn rolled his eyes. “Fine, but I am doing it for you, not him.”

“You two are so cute… also I told you so.”

“Yes, I am aware of both of those things. You know what else I am aware of?”

Ezra cocked his head to the side. 

“Our stench. I am going to wash my entire body for seven years.”

“That sounds like a great idea… now that we’re back, you’ll keep your hair long, right?”

“If you insist. Just get me a proper tie for it, please. Also, teach me how to ‘braid.’ Eli said he liked it.”

Ezra looked like he was about to burst out laughing. 

“Do not say it.”

“I told you so!” he yelled, loud enough for the whole ship to hear. 

“Get in,” Thrawn ordered, pushing Ezra into the refresher. “I do not want to see you again until you are clean.”

“Right away, Grand Admiral.”

Thrawn groaned. He entered the shower stall next to Ezra’s. 

“You know, I gotta say, this is _ much _ less awkward than the baths on that planet.”

“You had to say that? You really had to?”

“Just reminding you to be thankful."

Thrawn didn’t have a response to that. Ezra continued anyway. 

“So, are we just gonna get clean and then get back into the clothes we’ve been wearing for the past four years?”

“No. Eli will procure new clothes for us and the crew will dispose of our old ones. It is customary.”

“Customary? How often do Chiss return from being stranded?”

“Quite often, given Csilla’s climate.”

They were silent for a few moments. 

“Do you have any plans for your future?” Thrawn asked. 

“Honestly, I thought I’d be dead by now. I had no other plans.”

“Your only plan was to die? How ambitious.”

“Well, have you given any thought to your future?”

Thrawn sighed. “No. I did not think we would survive this long either.”

“Hypocrite.”

“The question still stands for both of us: what now?”

Ezra sighed. “I’m tired. I just wanna go home.”

“Do you think Lothal has fared well since the expulsion of the Empire?”

“I hope so, but I should probably ask Ahsoka. She’s knowledgeable about lots of stuff.”

“Ezra, if Eli is amenable, I… I would like to return to Lothal as well.”

“Yeah?”

“I put those people through a lot. If there is rebuilding to be done, I would like to offer aid. An apology would mean nothing without the actions to back it up.”

“I’ll work with you, too. Thank you, Thrawn, I know they’ll appreciate it.”

“After that… I will follow Eli.”

“You know, despite everything, you’ve become a good friend; don’t forget to visit. If you don’t, I’ll use our Force bond to find you,” Ezra teased."

“There will be no need for that; we will keep in contact. It will be difficult to live without you after four years.”

“Thrawn, you big softie.”

“Ezra, you large imbecile.”

Ezra laughed. “Just get out here so I can braid your hair. Someone brought us some clothes, just like you said. Nothing glamorous, but they’ll do.” He hung them over Thrawn’s stall. He’d already put his on.

Thrawn emerged a few minutes later. Ezra motioned for him to sit on the bench. He held up a comb and a proper, honest to goodness, hair tie. 

Thrawn chuckled. “Eli.”

“Even more proof that I was right,” Ezra sang as he combed Thrawn’s hair. “I’m gonna teach you how to braid after I’m done with the comb, okay? I won’t always be there to braid your hair.”

Thrawn’s first braid was… suboptimal. He improved the more he did it, but refused to leave the showers until it was perfect. Afraid that Thrawn would work on it all day, Ezra took over, deftly weaving Thrawn’s hair until Thrawn deemed himself prepared to face his boyfriend (“He’s _ not _ my boyfriend!” “Not _ yet _.”)

“Alright. You ready?”

“Yes. I am ready.”

Their new clothes were too big. When they returned to Ahsoka, Sabine, and Eli, they were immediately yelled at. Ahsoka actually got up and left with an incredulous look on her face. 

“What have you been eating?” Sabine exclaimed. 

“Berries.”

”And fish,” Thrawn interjected.

“For _ four _ years?”

Ezra shrugged. 

Eli stood up. “I’m getting you some proper food! I can’t have you two die after we worked so hard looking for you.”

Ezra chuckled and leaned over to Thrawn. “They’re so ridiculous. We’ll be okay.”

“Sit down!” a commanding voice ordered. 

It was Ahsoka. She was carrying some canteens and had a _ very _ serious look on her face. _ This must be how she gave orders during the Clone Wars. _Ezra and Thrawn sat down. 

Ahsoka placed the canteens in front of them. “Drink.”

Ezra and Thrawn could only nod silently and do as she said. She truly was a force to be reckoned with. Ezra had forgotten that. 

Eli returned a few minutes later with a tray of food.

“Eat,” he ordered. 

As Ezra and Thrawn started eating, everyone else relaxed. 

“Ezra, be careful, if you eat too much too fast, you may die.”

Ezra raised his eyebrows. “Noted. So… anything interesting happen in the past four years?”

“Oh, the usual,” Sabine responded. “Overthrow an Empire, start a Republic, you get it.”

“I suppose congratulations are in order,” Thrawn said. 

“Thanks. I still don’t trust you, though.” 

“That is fair. It took Ezra a year to learn to trust me.”

“Yeah, but after that we had fun, right?”

“I do not know if I would call it fun.”

“I would! Eli, man, you’re gonna love this: I figured out that Thrawn was in love with you before he did! He was so embarrassed. It was adorable.”

Eli raised his eyebrows as Thrawn did his absolute best to stop Ezra from speaking.

Sabine and Ahsoka laughed. It was too cute.

Eli squeezed Thrawn’s hand under the table. 

Ezra smiled. _ It’s good to be back. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed! i had a lot of fun writing this fic, i forgot how much fun sassy thrawn and ezra are. also, if you're gonna come at me with that "thrawn and eli aren't in love" bitch yes they are because i'm bi and i said so but if you're not gonna come at me for that then thanks for reading <3


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